Local Rhinelander Headlines

Students use robots and drones to learn about engineering

MINOCQUA - A new club at Lakeland Union High School could get more students interested in engineering. The Robotics Club gives students a chance to use robots and drones to understand the core concepts of engineering.

For a few years, LUHS has been using a curriculum to attract students to science, technology, engineering and math subject areas. But academic clubs give students a chance to use what they learn in class in a fun way.

"Getting to utilize classroom knowledge to be put into a practical, relevant environment, the clubs then extend to the classrooms," says principal James Bouche. "That's what I like about academic clubs. It can extend what they're doing in the classroom, what they're learning from their teachers, and now become explorers."

Full story: WJFW

Man pleads guilty to threatening governor's son on Twitter

MADISON - A Milwaukee man has pleaded guilty to threatening Gov. Scott Walker's adult son on Twitter.

Online court records show Robert Peffer pleaded guilty Friday to four misdemeanor counts of using a computer to send threatening or obscene messages.

Judge Dennis Flynn sentenced him to 90 days in jail and ordered him to pay a $1,000 fine on the first count. He stayed 90-day jail stints on the other three counts in lieu of probation. The judge also banned Peffer from using social media for anything besides looking for work.

Full story: WJFW

Private investigators fight GPS tracker bill, but proposal likely to advance in Senate

MADISON - Wisconsin private investigators might lose a tool they value within the next few months.

A state Senate committee will likely advance a bill within weeks to ban the use of many GPS tracking devices on cars.

The bill is designed to prevent stalking, but private investigators would lose the ability to use the tool in their work, too.

Full story: WJFW

Top-seeded Wisconsin hangs to beat North Carolina 79-72

LOS ANGELES - Sam Dekker scored a career-high 23 points, Frank Kaminsky added 19 and top-seeded Wisconsin rallied in the final 10 minutes to hold off North Carolina 79-72 Thursday night and advance to the final eight of the NCAA Tournament.

Zak Showalter came off the bench to score six points in the Badgers' 19-7 comeback run that sent them into the West Regional final Saturday against either No. 2 seed Arizona or sixth-seeded Xavier.

Brice Johnson and Justin Jackson scored 15 points each for the fourth-seeded Tar Heels (26-12), who got within one with 4:21 remaining but couldn't retake the lead they owned for much of the second half.

Full story: WJFW

Man loses part of ear in bar fight

ANTIGO - An Antigo man could spend more than 40 years in prison for allegedly biting a piece of another man's ear off during a bar fight.

According to court documents, 26-year-old James Pendleton was sitting across the bar from the victim and a woman who had a restraining order against Pendleton.

The victim told police Pendleton hit him in the face and the two started fighting. During the fight, Pendleton allegedly broke the victim's tooth, bit his ear, and tore off a piece of the ear.

Full story: WJFW

Bank workers practice often for situations like Wausaukee bank robbery

NORTHWOODS - On Tuesday, a Michigan man named Steven Snyder robbed a Wausaukee bank. Before he was killed later that day, police say Snyder killed a state trooper and another person.

Bank workers in Wausaukee, like those in other Northwoods banks, likely had been trained in advance on what to do if being robbed.

In Rhinelander, the police department works directly with banks and credit unions to prepare workers for a potential robbery.

Full story: WJFW

DNR proposes change in setting walleye bag limit for ceded territory

MADISON - The number of walleye fishermen can keep could change. The DNR wants to change how it sets the walleye bag limit in ceded territory.

It wants a three walleye bag limit for all lakes and rivers in the territory.

The tribes have treaty rights allowing them to harvest fish from lakes in most of northern Wisconsin.

Full story: WJFW

UPDATE: $250K cash bond for man accused of putting child's face in hot water

MARATHON COUNTY - A 22-year-old Weston man faces four charges for allegedly putting a 16-month-old child's face in extremely hot water. He faces nearly 40 years in prison if convicted.

22-year-old Christopher Kolden faces a felony of child abuse and three misdemeanors of resisting or obstructing an officer.

Everest Metro Police arrested Kolden on Tuesday. Police got involved when a 16-month-old child was taken to a to St. Clare's Hospital, in Weston, for a child that was presented with significant burns from hot water on March 17th, according to the department.

Full story: WJFW

DNR moves elk to Jackson County

MADISON - The DNR helped move 26 elk to Jackson County on Thursday. The herd from Kentucky was introduced near Black River Falls.

The elk were taken to the area after a 45-day quarantine in Kentucky.
This is part of a five year agreement between Wisconsin and Kentucky that could bring up to 150 wild elk to Wisconsin.

Some of the animals will get released in Clam Lake after this year.
For now, the elk will stay in a seven acre area in the Black River State Forest for a minimum of 75 days. That's to allow health testing and help the elk get familiar with their new surroundings.

Full story: WJFW

Former Forest County Jail worker pleads not guilty to stealing phone cards and giving them to inmate

FOREST COUNTY - Prosecutors think a former Forest County jail worker stole phone cards from the Forest County jail and gave them to an inmate.

Melvin Donek is also accused of lying to an officer about how the cards were given to an inmate without payment.

He pled not guilty to one felony and three misdemeanors in court Thursday.

Full story: WJFW

Wisconsin trooper's killer was part of a group of skinheads

MADISON - Court records show a Michigan man suspected of killing a rookie Wisconsin state trooper after robbing a bank was part of a group of skinheads who attacked black and Hispanic people nearly 20 years ago.

Steven Timothy Snyder and Trooper Trevor Casper killed each other during a shootout in Fond du Lac on Tuesday. The state Department of Justice says Snyder robbed a Marinette County bank earlier in the day.

Snyder was convicted in 1996 of disorderly conduct in Fond du Lac. He was a part of a group of skinheads who walked up to a house and started fighting a group of blacks and Hispanics that emerged.

Full story: WJFW

Chequamegon Screaming Eagles come together to make strong athletic program in the North

PARK FALLS - The Park Falls and Glidden School districts consolidated to make the Chequamegon School District, more than six years ago. It was a tough decision, but the new athletic program didn't take long to catch on.

"The kids that we have in our program, they want to do well, they have a desire and based on our traditions from our former districts like I was saying, it has carried over," Chequamegon Athletic Director Darren Patterson said. "It's almost an expectation more than anything."

The students saw the merge as a chance to build a strong athletic program in the north.

Full story: WJFW

CANtastic event helps local food pantry stock shelves, raise money, awareness

RHINELANDER - The Rhinelander Area Food Pantry uses creative ways to get food donations. One of their fundraisers, CANtastic, just finished up for the year.

Nine teams used more than 4,300 cans to build replicas of historic buildings. Then, more than 700 people used cans to vote for their favorite structure.

The competition raised more than 5000 cans for the food pantry. This year was the first time the competition also raised some money.

Full story: WJFW

Family and community hold fundraisers for Rhinelander man diagnosed with lung cancer that spread to his brain

RHINELANDER - Doctors diagnosed a Rhinelander man with lung cancer that spread to his brain last December.

Since then, the community has helped fundraise for medical bills.

Twenty-six-year-old Jonathan Ottman hasn't been able to work since he was diagnosed.

Full story: WJFW

Wisconsin DNR proposes daily 3 walleye limit

MADISON - The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wants to continue a three-walleye limit for lakes and rivers within the state's ceded territory, rather than annually adjusting the number based on how many are taken by the six Chippewa tribes.

The proposal to maintain the bag limit will be considered by the Natural Resources Board at its April 8 meeting.

The proposed rule would replace the current system of adjusting the limits based on the Chippewa's harvest plans. In past years those limits would then be adjusted throughout the season.

Full story: WJFW

Wisconsin regulators approve new power line

MADISON - State regulators have approved plan to build a $500 million-plus power line from western Wisconsin to Middleton.

The Public Service Commission gave the green light Thursday to Northern States Power Company and American Transmission Company to construct the 345-kilovolt line.

The line will run from Holmen to Black River Falls and largely follow existing power line corridors along Interstate 90/94 to Middleton. PSC spokesman Nathan Conrad says the line will import electricity from across the country, increasing reliability and ensuring quicker power transfers.

Full story: WJFW

NYT: Investigator reportedly says pilot locked out of German airliner

SEYNE-LES-ALPES, FRANCE - A newspaper is reporting that the voice recorder indicates that one of the pilots was locked out of the cockpit before a Germanwings jetliner plummeted into a remote Alpine mountainside.

The New York Times is citing an investigator it doesn't identify as saying that the audio shows that after an ordinary start to the flight, one of the pilots left the cockpit and could not get back in.

The investigator told the newspaper that the pilot began knocking quietly on the door, then became more insistent, saying that eventually: "You can hear he is trying to smash the door down."

Full story: WJFW

Oneida County homicides UPDATE: Gov. Walker demands Martinson's return to Wisconsin

ONEIDA COUNTY, BOONE COUNTY, IND. - Updated March 25, 2015 6:35 p.m.

Gov. Scott Walker believes that 17-year-old Ashlee Martinson needs to be brought back to Wisconsin for prosecution.

Martinson is accused of killing her mother and stepfather in eastern Oneida County earlier this month.

She was later arrested while traveling through Indiana

Full story: WJFW

Vilas County finalist in 'Best Cabin Region' competition

VILAS COUNTY - Another Wisconsin team could end up winning it all in a bracket challenge. Vilas County is a finalist in the "Best Cabin Region" contest put on by Cabin Life Magazine.

"It's very calm and peaceful," said Phelps resident Barbara Clem.

"We have a wide range of activities from silent sports to having the largest inland water chain of lakes in the world," said Eagle River resident Michele Richardson.

Full story: WJFW

Global economic changes impact some local metal prices

RHINELANDER - Some metal prices seem to be trending downward in 2015, which means you'll receive less money the next time you try to recycle them.

Jacques LaBerge works at Oak Leaf Salvage in Rhinelander. The salvage company separates its aluminum from its copper, its iron, and its other metals, a move that helps keep things organized.

"It makes it a lot easier to transport it because we can put it in one of these boxes and just put it in the semi truck," LaBerge said.

Full story: WJFW

Bull Falls Brewery in Wausau expands its market to other parts of Wisconsin

WAUSAU - A local brewery just started selling its beer in areas other than central and northern Wisconsin.

Bull Falls Brewery in Wausau expanded its sales to the Green Bay area, Eau Claire, and the Twin Cities.

This isn't the first time the company has expanded its reach. The brewery just started selling beer in the Northwoods and some areas south of Wausau about a year ago.

Full story: WJFW

Man arrested for alleged child abuse

MARATHON COUNTY - Everest Metro Police arrested a man accused of child abuse Tuesday. Twenty-two-year-old Christopher Kolden is currently in Marathon County Jail.

Police were involved on March 17th when a 16-month-old child was brought to St. Clare's Hospital in Weston with significant burns from hot water.

Police were involved on March 17 when a 16-month-old child was brought to St. Clare's Hospital in Weston with significant burns from hot water. The burns were severe enough that the child was immediately transferred to UW-Madison Children's Hospital Burn Center.

Full story: WJFW

Langlade County District Attorney runs for circuit court judge

LANGLADE COUNTY - The race for circuit court judge in Langlade County could be a close one. Both candidates running for the position have been active in Langlade County courtrooms for many years.

Current District Attorney Ralph Uttke is one of the candidates. He has 32 years of experience in law and has been the district attorney in Langlade County for more than 24 years.

Current District Attorney Ralph Uttke is one of the candidates. He has 32 years of experience in law and has been the district attorney in Langlade County for more than 24 years.

Full story: WJFW

New ArtStart exhibit opens in Rhinelander

RHINELANDER - A new art exhibit opens Thursday at the ArtStart gallery in Rhinelander.

The exhibit called "Rural Roots: Arts Education Pioneers in Wisconsin" features two artists.

One gallery will show the student work of John Steuart Curry, whose artwork dates back to the 1940s. The other gallery shows work by Ruth Stolle, who taught art to hundreds of people in Northern Wisconsin.

Full story: WJFW

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